Monday, February 28, 2011

Sibling AW11 Darn The Boozer

For their sixth collection, the ever bold and progressive knitwear label Sibling take us on a knitted pub crawl around East London as they invite us "darn the boozer". After all moving to the area, the design trio looked to the The Golden Heart, The Bricklayer's Arms, The Red Lion and the George & Dragon to quench their thirst for inspiration. During the presentation in Somerset House's Portico Rooms during Menswear Day, I was soon inebriated by the cocktail of texture, pattern and stitch as I stumbled through the design trio's favourite local drinking holes.

Throughout the collection their favoured drinking dens are referenced both in a literal sense with the use of pub insignia and iconography embroidered in and also in a more abstract way in pieces which reference George and in others which reference the dragon. Like all good pub crawls this is something of a drunken haze but I'm pretty sure pandas featured in it along the way. I can remember the first intoxicating yarn pint being downed at The Golden Heart, in a crew neck featuring text, embroidered tattooed heart and spider web elbows, with a chaser of a Claddagh fisherman’s sweater in a heady cashmere mix. Moving on to The Bricklayer's Arms in an insignia zip up jacket before roaring through to The Red Lion in an aptly addorned sweater. I think we finished up at the George & Dragon in a fair isle knitted in Scotland featuring Saint George, crossed cigarettes and dragons.

With each collection, the design trio combine the wonderful craft of knitwear with an added sense of humour. In fact, when we interviewed them last year they conceded that "Sibling is all about humour in a very English way that may come across as being a bit silly at times." Here however, they have struck the perfect balance and created a collection of covetable designs that still produce a wry smile. To supplement my drunken presentation shots, I can happily share the collection look book as shot by Thomas Giddings...

Red Lion Crew.

35% Viscose, 29% Lambswool, 20% Nylon, 8% Cashmere, 8% Angora

Golden Heart Twinset.

35% Viscose, 29% Lambswool, 20% Nylon, 8% Cashmere, 8% Angora

Bricklayers Arms Knitted Zip Jacket in 100% wool

George & Dragon Fair Isle Twinset complete with crossed cigarettes, beer bottles and not forgetting either George or the dragon. 100% wool.